Veneer machine



Dec'. ze, 1939. L F. Koss, JR

VENEER MACHINE sheets-sheet 1 Filed Sept. 20, 1937 uns Y: e: 1 4.

Dec. 26, 1939. F. Koss. JR

VENEER MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' NN: m, Nw wwf. f\%j a w @QN 6J f w nk Q .QN @y d TEr A MN IM. NN; owl@ o o Q o mw I S I I +I NN QN .QN .WN www@ ww www@ @N QQQAKS www@ i N mw sw ,QN QN N @N E ww Dec. l26, 1939. 4l.. F. Koss. JR

VENEER MACHINE 3 Sheets-Shet 5 /v VEN fop' /YOSS Filed Sept. 20,` 1937 Patented Dec. A26., 1939 UNITED STAT/ES' ATENT oFFics 2 Claims.

This invention relates to means for securing and holding wood flitches in a veneer slicing machine. 'Ihe present method is to. place a square mahogany, walnut, or fiitch of any other kind of wood, l2 to 16 feet long, against thetable of the machine, and manually screw holding dogs up and down against the edge of the flitch so as to hold it securely for the veneer slicing machine. The table with the itch secured thereon diagonally is moved up and down and shears against a long knife held by a suitable heavy casting. By the screw method at present employed, considerable time and effort are required to dog a itch. This will be multiplied by the fact that about 50 of these changes must be made in a days run.

The object of this invention is to do the clogging or undogging operations by the use of hydraulic jacks, operating pistons having rods to which the dogs are fastened.

A further object is to provide liquid communication between the jacks which will equalize the pressure on the dogs such that when the resistance of the log halts one or less than all of the dogs, the rest of them will continue to advance toward the log until the pressure is again equalized and will then continue the pressure equally on all of the dogs until the dogs have gripped the log with a uniform predetermined pressure.

Another object is to control the pressure by a single valve to be set and/or manipulated by a single operator and the object is to undog the log by a reverse hydraulic movement.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a pressure actuated gauge and signal which will notify the operator should the liquid supply fail, by reason of leakage or otherwise, during the operation of the machine.

I accomplish the above and other objects which will hereinafter appear, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which-,-

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a veneer slicing machine equipped with my invention;

Fig, 2 is a fragmentary view showing both ends and a little more than one half of the left end of the log or flitch receiving table; the right half being broken away and removed to shorten the drawings. The dogs are shown in this View without the log;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the left end of the table showing the two near jacks in partial vertical section and showing the pipe connection for the flow of the operating liquid;

Fig. 4 is a detail on an enlarged scale in elc- -well known construction and operation.

vation of a left-hand end set of dogs and pipe connections; and

Fig. 5, a detail in partial section similar to ig. 3 but on an 4enlarged scale.

Like characters'of reference indicate like parts in the several views of the drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1, the bed I of the veneer slicing machine-has the standards 2-2 which support a table 3 in slides which permit of a vertically reciprocating travel of the table. This 6 reciprocation is accomplished by pitmans lI-4 connecting the table with respective crank wheels 5 5 actuated `by the usual drive gear means. The log or itch 6 (shown in Fig. 3) is attached to the table 3 bya lower series of dogs 8 and an 10 upper series of dogs l, the operation of which is the subject 'of .this invention and will presently be fully described.

The log, or flitch, softened by previous soaking in hot Water, is sliced into thin veneers lby being reciprocated against a knifel (not shown) held in the path of the log by a heavy cast metal holder 9, which is mounted on a carriage I0. The holder 9 has the usual adjustment as to the pitch of the knife and the carriage I0 is moved toward 25 the table 3, a distance equal to the thickness of the veneer to be cut off, by shafts I I actuated by the usual power and connecting gears. The mechanism thus far described is of usual and Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and. 3, the table 3 is formed with a series of vertical slots, in each of which a pair of dogs l and 8, are slidingly retained by plates l2 and I3, and ymounted on the yupper edge of the table above each slot is a pair of hydraulic jacks I4 and I5, each comprising a cylinder I6 and I'I 'having a piston I8 in cylinder IB and piston I9,

in cylinder Il, each so packed as not to` permit a liquid, preferably'oil, to pass the pistons. Both 40 cylinders are closed at bothends. A piston rod 2u connects the piston I8 with the upper dog 'I and a piston rod 2| connects the'piston Illr with the lower dog 8.` The cylinder and piston operating the lower dog is larger than those operating the upper dog because of the area taken up by the piston rod in the lower piston; and they are used to maintain the pressure on the dogs duringthe entire cutting operation.

As the jacks thus described are the same for all of the pairs of dogs, the above description will suice for all pairs of them.

Extending from the frame'on which the table 3 is mounted, is a bracket 22 from which an arm 23 is extended as a support for a control valve 24, 55

of any usual and suitable construction. The valve 24 is supplied With oil through a pipe 25 from a variable delivery hydraulic motor driven pump, mounted back of the table 3 and not shown, which maintains a predetermined pressure and may be of any usual and suitable construction.

Coming, as here shown, from the bottom of the valve 24, is a pipe 26 which connects with the top ends of all of the cylinders I'l and with the lower ends of all of the cylinders I6 to move their pistons in directions to open, that is, to separate all of the dogs preparatory to the placing of a log between the upper and lower rows.

Connected with the bottom of the valve 24 is a pipe 2l which connects with the top ends of all of the cylinders I6 and connected in like manner with the valve 24 is a pipe 2l' which connects with the lower end of all of the cylinders Il'. The pipes 2l and 21', when opened to the pressure from the pump, move their respective pistons in proper directions to close, or in other words, to move the upper and lower row of dogs toward each other.

Located in communication `with the pipe 2l is a pressure gauge 28 which registers the pressure in the pipes and may also ring a signal bell (not shown).

The pipes communicating with the cylinders on each side of the pistons are connected with the pump through the valve 24 and a pipe 29 from the valve to the pump, so that when pressure is applied to one side of the piston, it will be released on the other side by the oil ilowing back to the pump.

The details of the valve are not shown as the necessary construction is within the accomplishment of those skilled in the valve art.

In the operation of my machine, the operator places his log or flitch against the table 3, turns the control valve 2B so the top and bottom dogs move down and up, respectively, by oil delivered through pipe 2l until the dogs strike the log,where the closest ones stop. Those dogs stop moving because a resistance is encountered and the ones that have to move farther will continue to move until all the dogs strike a uniform resistance. The dogs bite into the log and uniformly under a pressure of from 1000 to 1500 pounds per square inch. .As some logs require more dogging power than others this can be pre-arranged by the operator setting his pressure regulator accordingly. For example, if he is cutting oak veneer, he would set his regulator for 1500 pounds before the pressure cuts off at Which the variable delivery hydraulic pump has been set.

After the log is thus securely fastened in any position across the table 3 to get a shear cut, the operator moves his control lever 30 to trap the oil in the cylinders controlling the top setof dogs and to maintain a pressure against the lower set of dogs during the entire slicing operation. Any working loose of the dogs during the cutting will be overcome by the continued pressure against the lower dogs. This would not be true where the present mechanical screw form is used because sometimes a log or flitch works loose during cutting and causes considerable damage.

I prefer to trap the oil above the pistons in the cylinders controlling the upper set of dogs rather than to depend on the pressure used in initially setting the dogs because the greatest strain and loosening tendency on the dogs in making the veneer cuts will be against the upper dogs.

By the hydraulic action the dogs will be kept uniformly tight automatically.

When the log is cut into veneer there will be a thin backing board left on the flitch table 3. Then the operator moves the control lever 3i) to position of the valve to release the oil from the outer ends of the double acting hydraulic pistons and deliver pressure through pipe 26 to the inner ends of the pistons and thereby open all the dogs and release the backing board. The operator is then ready to insert a new log by placing it in any diagonal position against the table 3 and locking it by hydraulic action as has been described.

I claim:

1. In a veneer slicing machine, a table having a series of slideways, a pair of dogs slidingly carried by each slideway, said dogs having opposing log-gripping members, a cylinder for each dog carrying a piston, a rod interconnecting the respective pistons and dogs, pipe means interconnecting said cylinders with a iiuid supply pressure means, a single valve means in said pipe and a handle connected with the valve for manually controlling ow of said fluid to said cylinders for pressure application on said pistons, said pipe and valve means being connected with said cylinders to deliver oil through the pipe to the cylinders tomove the top dogs down and the bottom dogs up until each is stopped by contact and resistance against a iiitch to be sliced, and there to trap the oil in the cylinders controlling the top set of dogs only, to maintain a uniform pressure of the bottom dogs against the Iiitch during the shearing operation.

2. In a veneer slicing machine, a table having a series of slideways, a pair of dogs slidingly carried by each slideway, said dogs having opposing log-gripping members, a cylinder for each dog carrying a piston, a rod interconnecting the respective pistons and dogs, pipe means interconnecting said cylinders with a fluid supply pressure means, valve means in said pipe and valve operating means for controlling flow of said fluid to said cylinders for pressure application on said pistons, said pipe and valve means being connected with said cylinders to deliver oil through the pipe to the cylinders to move the top dogs down and the bottom dogs up until each is stopped by contact and resistance against a flitch to be sliced, and there to trap the oil in the cylinders controlling the top set of dogs only, to maintain a uniform pressure of the bottom dogs against the flitch during the shearing operation.

LOUIS F. KOSS, JR. 

